Built from three boosters of SpaceX’s smaller Falcon 9, and with an estimated 2,500 tons of thrust, the rocket is equivalent to 18 Boeing 747 aircraft at full throttle.
According to the SpaceX website, the 70-meter-long Falcon Heavy could carry up to 37,000 pounds of cargo and crew to Mars.
The program has suffered delays of up to five years and, in July 2017, Musk admitted his team had been “pretty naive” and that development had been “way harder” than he had first thought.
On Twitter, Musk said the launch remained on target for 1:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
